41MP EOS PureView could be Nokia's first quad-core Windows Phone

We've been hearing about Nokia's full-PureView Windows Phone for a long time now, but rumours of the so-called Nokia EOS are now seriously gathering pace.

An anonymous source is claiming Nokia's cameraphone flagship is currently being tested in two configurations – one with a dual-core processor and the other with a quad-core CPU, a first for Nokia.

The source, whose claims have been surfaced by MyNokiaBlog, says the spec sheet is otherwise identical, and that Nokia is simply testing out its options in a real-world environment to see to what extent the quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor would compromise battery life.

Nokia has yet to release a quad-core smartphone, in fact neither has any other Windows Phone manufacturer since the Microsoft platform only supports up to dual-core at present.

However, with the upcoming GDR3 update set to boost WP's spec limits, the Nokia EOS will probably not be the only quad-core Windows Phone hitting the market towards the end of the year – if Nokia does indeed decide to go the four-core route.

The EOS is expected to boast a similar large-scale camera sensor to the 41MP Nokia 808 PureView that was introduced at Mobile World Congress 14 months ago, making it the first “true” PureView Lumia device despite the current flagship Lumia 920 also carrying the PureView branding.

Speaking of the Lumia 920, the rest of the EOS' spec (processor aside) should be along similar lines to the current range-topper, though with an AMOLED display like we've seen leaked recently in connection with the Lumia 928.

If the Nokia EOS is to launch with WP8 GDR3, however, we could be in for a wait as existing info suggests the update to Microsoft's OS is only likely to be rolled out towards the end of the year.